Judge in Meyiwa trial apologises for racial comments

FILE: Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng presides over the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial in the High Court in Pretoria.

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Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng has apologised for his utterances that had racial undertones during the former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa’s murder case in the High Court in Pretoria.

Last week Thursday, he expressed outrage after learning that Defence Adv. Charles Mnisi had written to his registrar, requesting to be excused from court today, as he will be participating in the Comrades Marathon.

Mokgoatlheng told court then that the murder trial could not be sidelined for personal activities and that no white advocate would dare make such a request.

Before proceedings began today, he apologised for his comments and admitted that his conduct was questionable.

Mokgoatlheng says, “I spoke to the JP (Judge President) and the JP spoke to me together with the DJP (Deputy Judge President) and the JP rightfully excoriated me for my conduct that it is not befitting of a judge, of my experience and stature that I should have behaved like I did, and I agree. I heartily and unreservedly apologise. I apologise to my colleagues here, to the accused, the gentlemen in front of me.”